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July.

quence of some delay on the part of the Spaniards, 1812. captain Bouverie had to destroy his two guns: after which he and his party reembarked. Captain Malcolm met with so much detention, that he was obliged to leave in the hands of the enemy a midshipman and 29 men.

on San

On the 30th of July and on the 1st of August a Attack combined attack was made on the town of Santander tander. and the castle of Ano, by the detachment of marines serving on board the squadron, placed under the orders of captain Willoughby Thomas Lake, of the 74-gun ship Magnificent, and captain sir George Collier, and acting in conjunction with the guerillas under general Porlier. The castle was taken possession of by the marines; but, the garrison of Santander having received reinforcements which made it stronger than had been expected, general Porlier was unable to advance upon the place; and the marines, who had pushed on to cooperate in the attack, were obliged to fall back upon the castle, French with some loss. Captains Lake and sir George ate the Collier were among the wounded; as was also town. captain of marines Christopher Noble, who was taken prisoner. On the 3d the French evacuated the town of Santander, and a detachment of marines from the british frigates in the harbour immediately took possession of it.

evacu

gant

castle

In the month of May the british force stationed off Termathe coast of Grenada, to assist the spanish patriots, deconsisted of the 20-gun ships Hyacinth and Terma- stro gant, captains Thomas Ussher and William Hamilton, and gun-brig Basilisk, lieutenant George French. Nersa. In consequence of the destruction, by the Hyacinth, on the 20th, of the castle at Nersa, the guerillas, on the 25th, came down from the mountains and entered the town; and captains Ussher and Hamilton went on shore and waited upon the guerilla leader. By him they learnt that the French had retreated to Almunecar, a town about seven miles to the eastward; and that they had a force of about 300 men,

1812. against whom the guerillas meant immediately to march.

May.

Terma

dron

silence

at Al

mune

car.

In order to cooperate effectually with them, captain gant Ussher, at 4 P. M. on the 26th, bore up for Almuand necar; and, anchoring his two ships and brig within point-blank range, silenced the castle in less than castle an hour. The guerillas not advancing as was expected, captain Hamilton, at 8 P. M., went in his gig back to Nersa, and returned at 4 A. M. on the 27th, with information that the guerillas were waiting for an expected reinforcement. At 7 A. M. the french troops, having during the night mounted a howitzer in a breach made by the ships in the covered way to the castle, reopened their fire; but, by 10 A. M., the castle was again silenced, and the French were driven with great loss into the town, where they fortified themselves in the church and houses. Desirous of sparing the unfortunate inhabitants, captain Ussher ceased firing; and at 2 P. M., after having destroyed a privateer, of two guns and 30 or 40 men, at anchor under the castle, weighed and ran down to Nersa, for the purpose of concerting plans with the guerillas.

las

Nersa

car and

French

Convey Having arrived at Nersa, captain Ussher emgueril- barked 200 guerilla infantry on board his little from squadron, and stood back with them towards Almuto Al- necar, having directed the cavalry to hasten through mune- the mountain. The delay occasioned by a calm compel acquainted the french troops with the combined the movement; and, joining a corps of 200 men at to re- Notril, the whole detachment retreated upon Grenada. treat to On arriving at his anchorage before the castle, captain Ussher detached lieutenant Francis Brockell Spilsbury and a guerilla officer, with directions to hoist the respective flags on the castle, and then to demolish the works. After considerable difficulty, owing to the strength of the works, the service was effectually executed.

Grena

da.

On the 13th of February, at daybreak, the british 38-gun frigate Apollo, captain Bridges Watkinson

and

tures

A cor

Taylor, while rounding Cape Corse, fell in with and 1812. chased the french frigate-built store-ship Mérinos; Feb. pierced for 36, but mounting only 20 guns, long Apollo 8-pounders, with a crew of 126 men, commanded chases by capitaine de frégate Honore-Cyprien Courdouan, capin company with a ship-corvette. After the Apollo Mérihad closed from to-leeward, and killed six and nos. wounded 20 of the crew of the Mérinos, that ship hauled down her colours. Notwithstanding the signals for assistance made to her from the Mérinos, in comthe corvette, with the help of boats from the island pany of Corsica, effected her escape. Although, in con- her sequence of the calm state of the weather and her escape. proximity to the shore, the Apollo was exposed, during four hours, to a fire from a battery on the cape and another on the islet of Giraglia, she did not have a man hurt.

vette

effects

rious

chase

and

On the 16th of February the british 74-gun ship VictoVictorious, captain John Talbot, accompanied by and the 18-gun brig-sloop Weasel, captain John Wil- Weasel liam Andrew, arrived off Venice, to watch the motions Rivoli of the new french 74-gun ship Rivoli,* commodore three Jean-Baptiste Barré, and two or three brigs of war, brigs. lying ready for sea in that port. Foggy weather made it the 21st, before Captain Talbot was enabled to reconnoitre the port. On that day, at 2 h. 30 m. P. M., the Victorious descried a brig in the east-northeast, and at 3 P. M., in the same direction, a large ship, with two more brigs, and two settees. The ship was the Rivoli herself; the three brigs were the Jéna and Mercure of 16, and the Mamelouck of eight guns; and the two settees were gun-boats; all about 12 hours from Venice, bound to the port of Pola in Istria, and at this time steering in line of battle; the two gun-boats and one brig ahead, then the Rivoli, and astern of her the two remaining brigs. The british 74 and brig were presently under all sail in chase, and soon began to gain upon the french squadron.

* See p. 64.

1812. At 2 h. 30 m. A. M. on the 22d, perceiving that one Feb. of the two brigs in the rear had dropped astern,

en

gages

and that the Rivoli had shortened sail to allow her Weasel to close, captain Talbot hailed the Weasel, and directed captain Andrew to pass the Victorious if Mer- possible, and bring the sternmost brig to action. Captain Andrew was so prompt in obeying the order, Jéna. that at 4 h. 15 m. A. M. the Weasel overtook the

cure

and

cure blows

up.

Mercure, and engaged her within half pistol-shot. After the action between these two brigs had lasted about 20 minutes, the brig that had been in company with the Mercure, the Jéna, shortened sail, and engaged the Weasel distantly on her bow. Thus opposed, the latter still continued a close and welldirected fire upon the Mercure until another 20 Mer- minutes had elapsed; at the end of which the french brig blew up. In an instant the Weasel lowered down her boats, but only succeeded in saving three men, and those much bruised. In the mean while, taking advantage of the darkness of the morning and the damaged state of the Weasel's rigging, the Jéna had made off, and soon disappeared. At daylight, however, the british brig regained a sight of both french brigs, one a short distance astern of the other and, having by this time refitted herself, she crowded sail in pursuit, sweeping occasionally, owing to the lightness of the breeze; but the Jéna and Mamelouck outsailed the Weasel, and kept gradually increasing their distance.

Action com

mences be

At 4 h. 30 m. A. M., just a quarter of an hour after the Weasel had begun her engagement with the Mercure, the Victorious, having a light air of wind Victo- on her larboard beam, arrived within half pistol-shot rious of, and opened her starboard guns upon, the Rivoli; Rivoli, who immediately returned the fire from her larboard

tween

and

broadside, and continued, with courses brailed up, but royals set, standing on towards the gulf of Triest. A furious engagement now ensued between these two line-of-battle ships, interrupted only when, for a few minutes together, the fog or the smoke hid

them from each other's view. In the early part of the 1812. action, captain Talbot received a contusion from a Feb. splinter, that nearly deprived him of his sight, and the command of the ship devolved upon lieutenant Thomas Ladd Peake, who emulated his wounded chief in bravery and judgment. After the mutual cannonade had thus continued for three hours, and the Rivoli, from the superior fire of the Victorious, had become unmanageable and reduced to such a resistance as two quarterdeck guns only could offer, lieutenant Peake, by signal, recalled the Weasel, to have the benefit of her assistance, in case either ship, the Victorious herself being in a disabled Weasel state, and both ships at this time in seven fathoms' fires a water off the point of Groa, should happen to get broadaground. Having bore up in obedience to the signal, the Weasel stood across the bows of the Rivoli; Rivoli. and, at 8 A. M., when within musket-shot distance, poured in her broadside. This the brig, wearing or tacking as necessary, repeated twice. Meanwhile the Victorious maintained a steady cannonade, and at 8 h. 45 m. A. M. shot away the Rivoli's mizenmast. In another quarter of an hour the Rivoli french 74 fired a lee gun, and hailed the Victorious ders. that she had struck. Point Legnian then bore from the latter north-north-west distant seven miles.

raking

side

into

surren

mage

board

The Victorious had her rigging cut to pieces, gaff Daand spanker-boom shot away, her three topmasts and and mainmast badly wounded, her boats all destroyed, loss on except a small punt belonging to the ward-room Victoofficers, and her hull struck in several places. Out rious. of her actual crew of 506 men and boys, (60 of the men sick, but only a few absent from their quarters,) she had one lieutenant of marines (Thomas H. Griffiths,) and 25 seamen and marines killed, her captain (slightly,) one lieutenant of marines, (Robert S. Ashbridge, mortally,) two master's mates, (William H. Gibbons and George Henry Ayton,) two midshipmen, (Henry Bolton and Joseph Ray,) and 93 seamen and marines wounded; total, 27

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